PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy men's basketball defeated UMaine-Presque Isle 70-67, on Tuesday night in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action inside of Wieden Hall Gymnasium.

How it Happened: The teams battled closely in the first half as the Owls took a narrow 31-30 lead into halftime.

UMPI hit a three to open up the second half, but the Mariners responded with a 15-2 run to take a 45-35 lead at 13:30. The Owls battled back, but the Mariners went on a six-point run capped off by a defensive rebound and basket by Riley MacLeod (Bucksport, Maine) to take a 59-51 lead with just under seven minutes to play.

The Owls kept within striking distance, hitting a three with 20 seconds left to close the gap to 68-67, but Andrew Liebert (Plano, Texas) made both attempts from the line to give the Mariners a 70-67 edge and Riley Jorgenson (Vienna, Va.) pulled down a crucial defensive rebound as time expired to secure the victory. 

Inside the Numbers: Adam Richardson (Bradley, Maine) led the Mariners with a game-high 23 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal.

Jorgenson added 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, while both Nicholas DePatsy (Waldoboro, Maine) and Liebert chipped in with 12 points. DePatsy also contributed five rebounds, three assists and two steals and Liebert added four rebounds.

Griffin Guerrette led the Owls with 21 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal, Shyquinn Dix added 16 points, five assists, four rebounds, and a steal and Wilburn Griffiths contributed 12 points, a rebound and a steal.

The Mariners shot 57.4 percent from the floor, while the Owls shot 42.6 percent. UMPI held a 32-27 edge in rebounds. 

Up Next: The Mariners improve to 11-10 on the season and 7-4 in the conference, while the Owls fall to 9-13 overall and 3-9 in the NAC. Maine Maritime returns to action on Friday night when they host UMaine-Farmington for at 5:30 pm for a NAC matchup.